Tokyo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Japan, said on Friday that strong ties with China are “crucial” and will create a “positive impact on regional peace and prosperity” and bring stability to the global economy.
PM Modi’s visit to Japan aims to strengthen bilateral ties between Delhi and Tokyo. The prime minister will tour four factories, including one that is developing a prototype of the E10 Shinkansen bullet train that India is looking to buy. During the visit, he is also expected to sign agreements in key areas such as defence, trade, technology, and business.
After Japan, he will head to China to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, which brings together countries such as Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
“At the invitation of (Chinese) President Xi Jinping, I will travel to Tianjin from here to take part in the SCO summit. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan (in Russia, during an earlier SCO meet) last year, steady and positive progress has been made in our bilateral ties,” he told Japanese media.
“Stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, the two largest nations on Earth, can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity,” he said, echoing remarks after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Delhi this month.
“This is also crucial for a multi-polar Asia and world.”
The 25th summit of member states takes place at a time when India is grappling with global economic and political challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and the United States imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports.
The US decision, in particular, has pushed India and China to ease years of military tension, with both sides looking to reset ties and cushion the economic impact of the new tariffs.
In Japan, PM Modi said, “Given volatility in the world economy, it is important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order. India is ready to advance bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective on the basis of mutual interest…”
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